Silver Lining for Learning

Punya Mishra | Chris Dede | Curt Bonk | Yong Zhao

Silver Lining for Learning (https://silverliningforlearning.org) is an ongoing conversation on the future of learning with educators and education leaders from across the globe. Hosted by Chris Dede, Curt Bonk, Punya Mishra & Yong Zhao, these conversations began under the “dark cloud” of the COVID19 crisis and continue today. We see these conversations as space to discuss the creation of equitable, humanistic and sustainable learning ecosystems that meet the needs of all learners. These conversations are hosted live on YouTube every Saturday (typically 5:30 PM Eastern US time).

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    Why Al in Education Needs Standards Interoperability, Context, & Learner Impact

    Why AI in Education Needs Standards: Interoperability, Context, and Learner Impact with Michael Feldstein, 1EdTech Chief Strategy Officer; Blaine Helmick, 1EdTech Vice President of Software; and Suzanne Carbonaro, 1EdTech Vice President of Postsecondary Education and Workforce In this episode of Silver Lining for Learning, we explore how 1EdTech Consortium, a nonprofit, neutral, trusted convener, is working at the intersection of interoperability, data, and artificial intelligence to help education systems better serve its learners with technology. The conversation introduces what 1EdTech is, who it convenes, and why shared interoperability standards—such as Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI)®, learning analytics frameworks, and competency standards like Competencies and Academic Standard Exchange® (CASE®)—are foundational to a connected digital learning ecosystem. Through concrete examples, the episode shows how interoperability standards reduce complexity for institutions and their technology providers while enabling more consistent, meaningful access to learning data. Artificial Intelligence is an example of a technology in which context and structure matter if AI is to positively impact teaching and learning. Panelists examine how interoperable data pipelines make it possible to use AI for personalization, analytics, and learner-centered insights—without sacrificing trust, transparency, or human judgment. By highlighting 1EdTech’s emerging work in areas like AI-enabled learning analytics and outcomes tracking, the episode emphasizes the opportunity for institutions and technology providers to collaborate in ways that unlock data for learning and research, while keeping learners and educators firmly at the center. Readings and Resources: https://www.1edtech.org/program/labs https://www.imsglobal.org/resource/AI-Generated_Content_Best_Practices/v1p0 https://www.1edtech.org/workstream/analytics https://www.1edtech.org/standards/ai-rubric https://www.1edtech.org/about/hed Episode Guests Michael Feldstein is the Chief Strategy Officer of 1EdTech. He helps drive the strategic vision and implementation of an open, trusted and innovative ecosystem of interoperable products and digital credentials by identifying needs and collaboratively developing solutions to increase learning impact with the 1EdTech community. Michael brings more than 30 years of educational technology experience to the organization, most recently as CEO of the Empirical Educator Project, Co-Founder of Argos Education, and Chief Accountability Officer of e-Literate. Blaine Helmick, Vice President of Software at 1EdTech, is an accomplished education technology product director with career expertise creating innovative products, services, and content that reach new markets, bring solid ROI, and add tangible value. Combine a BA in Information Systems and an MA in Instructional Design to conceptualize enterprise technology solutions and drive successful development teams. Contribute technology and educational industry knowledge and collaborate with cross-functional teams to synthesize solutions and deliver emerging technologies. Suzanne Carbonaro is the vice president for postsecondary education and workforce programs at 1EdTech. In this role she serves as liaison across the education sector to enable discussion and collaboration that helps to foster the use of interoperability standards across digital ecosystems, and their external applications. Suzanne spent much of her career in higher education as a leader of curriculum and assessment, instruction and student success, institutional effectiveness and planning, and accreditation. Over the last five years, Suzanne served as a subject matter expert for two edtech companies and supported the growth of interoperability standards, strategic planning processes, and the Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR) across the colleges and universities she served. Suzanne’s research interests and publications are in the areas of digital credentials and CLR, high-impact practices, co-curricular assessment, and integrated strategic planning. Previously, Suzanne served as Director of Assessment at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Rider University’s College of Education and Human Services. Through her leadership, these institutions were re-accredited and received recognition for their assessment practices, including the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy 2019 Award for Excellence in Assessment. Suzanne managed New Jersey Department of Education and Janssen Pharmaceuticals grants to advance STEM Education, teacher leadership, recruitment, and retention in NJ public schools. Suzanne currently serves on the Grand Challenges in Assessment, a national collaboration of ten organizations and over 400 higher ed leaders seeking to advance assessment of student learning through discourse, research, and professional learning. Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org

    1h 2m

  2. 1 FEB

    Just a Football Powerhouse? No, Indiana University is also an Online Learning Dynamo

    It has been a couple of years since the team from Silver Lining for Learning (SLL) explored the status of online learning. In Episode #260 of SLL, we will hear about the targeted growth of online learning at Indiana University (IU) across eight campuses; including the flagship campus in Bloomington. In the state of Indiana, only Ivy Tech Community College enrolls more online students (over 12,000) than IU at around 10,000. The annual growth has been brisk at around 12 percent per year involving over 200 different programs, around 25 percent of which are collaborative in nature across all campuses and the rest are individual on a single campus. More information is available about the collaborative approach: “IU Online: A Collaborative Model for Online Education at Indiana University” and “Moving Forward 2.0: IU Online Implementation Plan.” In this episode of SLL, Dr. Chris Foley, Associate Vice President and Director of Online Learning at IU will detail recent trends in online learning at IU and outline the university targets and his predictions of the future. As he observes, 'Expanding Access: Higher education is a life-changing experience for most students. It’s not just about imparting knowledge. It brings personal growth, opens doors, and grows self-confidence. The more students who can experience this, the better . . . for them and for everyone." By the end of this episode, you will realize that Indiana University has not just become a major college football powerhouse but is also now an online learning dynamo. Chris Foley, Associate Vice President, IU Online, Department: Office of Online Education, cfoley@iu.edu Homepage: https://rcoe.iu.edu/about/leadership/foley-chris.htmlTeaching Online at IU: https://teachingonline.iu.edu/about/staff/foley-chris.htmlLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-foley-7b629619/Chris J. Foley is associate vice president and director of online education for IU. He leads the development and implementation of online programs across IU’s seven campuses, servicing 30,000 students involved in online education. In addition, he is an adjunct assistant professor of organizational leadership at IU Indianapolis and teaches graduate courses in leadership, organization change and ethics. Foley has served IU for more than 20 years; before his current role, he worked in admissions and enrollment management at both IU Bloomington and IU Indianapolis. He has presented and published extensively on enrollment management, marketing and recruitment. Mark Baer joined the IU Online team in May 2024 as Interim Assistant Vice President for Online Academic Affairs and transitioned to Assistant Vice President of Online Academic Programs in October 2025. In this role, Baer oversees new online program development across Indiana University and leads a team that supports proactive management of existing online and hybrid collaborative programs, including curriculum evolution and assessment support. Since stepping into this leadership position, Baer has expanded collaborative partnerships across an increasingly interconnected university, fostering relationships that enhance program quality and delivery. Baer is an Associate Professor of Performing Arts with tenure at IU Northwest, bringing a strong faculty perspective to his administrative work. With a robust record of faculty leadership, Baer served as President of the IU Northwest Faculty Organization from 2020 to 2023 and has long contributed to intercampus collaboration through the University Faculty Council and Regional Faculty Caucus. He holds an MFA in Theatre Direction from Illinois State University and a BS in International Business and Theatre from the University of Findlay. More information on Mark can be found at: https://rcoe.iu.edu/about/leadership/baer-mark.html Whitnie Powell was appointed Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Services in November 2023, following three successful years as the Director of Enrollment Management and Student Services. In her current role, Whitnie leads the Enrollment Management, Online Student Services, Online Undergraduate Advising, Online Graduate Support, and EM&SS Operational Systems teams within IU Online. Together with her team, she collaborates closely with all IU campuses and University Administration units to create a seamless and supportive online student experience, enhance operational efficiencies, drive online enrollment growth, and positively impact student persistence, retention, and completion. Before joining IU, Whitnie served as the Senior Associate Director for Graduate Studies and Adult Learning at the University of Indianapolis, where she developed and led a centralized recruitment and enrollment team serving graduate, adult, and online students. Her leadership roles also include serving as Enrollment Manager at Indiana Wesleyan University, where she oversaw recruitment, enrollment, and student services for three central Indiana regional campuses. At Chamberlain College of Nursing, Whitnie was the Interim Director of Admissions, where she led the development of recruitment strategy, admissions processes, and student services during the initial startup of the Indianapolis campus.Whitnie's career also includes roles as a high school recruiter, online admissions counselor, online student services coordinator, intake coordinator, and student admissions recruiter. She earned both her B.S. in Psychology and M.S. in Management from the University of Indianapolis and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Educational Administration with a focus on Higher Education Leadership at Indiana State University. Whitnie is actively involved in councils, steering committees, and task forces across IU, representing IU Online. She has earned national recognition for the IU Online Enrollment Management and Student Services model through conference presentations and national association awards, including being honored with the UPCEA 2024 Dorothy Durkin Strategic Innovation Award. More information on Whitnie can be found at: https://rcoe.iu.edu/about/leadership/powell-whitnie.html Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org

    1h 3m

  3. 25 JAN

    Can AI Transform Education Systems in the Global South?

    Can AI transform education systems in the Global South? with Fernando Reimers, Zainab Azim, Maria-Renee Palomo and Callysta Thony This episode of Silver Lining for Learning features a deep dive into a new book on artificial intelligence and education systems, with a special focus on the Global South—where most of the world’s young people live and where educational challenges are most acute. Rather than taking a techno‑optimistic stance, the book adopts a systems perspective, examining how AI intersects with curriculum, teaching, assessment, school organization, and governance under real‑world constraints of resources, capacity, and policy. Framed around three guiding questions—whether education systems can build broad AI literacy, whether AI can actually improve foundational learning, and whether it can make curricula more relevant to 21st‑century social and economic needs—the conversation explores what it would take for AI to support genuine transformation rather than isolated pockets of innovation. Drawing on international evidence, case studies, and early implementations of AI in classrooms and systems, the episode highlights both the possibilities and the serious risks of deepening inequality if AI is adopted without attention to access, teacher support, cultural relevance, and ethics. We’ll discuss how current AI applications tend to benefit more privileged groups, what a truly systemic approach would look like in the Global South, and why teacher development, educational leadership, and coherent regulation (on issues like data privacy and algorithmic bias) are non‑negotiable. We will discuss what a critical, human‑centered roadmap for leveraging AI as a tool for equity, dignity, and the full development of all students, rather than as a new driver of division.   Readings and Resources: Artificial Intelligence and Education in the Global South https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-032-11449-5 Episode Guests Fernando Reimers is the Ford Foundation Professor at Harvard University, USA and Director of the Global Education Innovation Initiative. He is an elected member of the US and the International Academies of Education. His research focuses on 21st-century global education, sustainable development, and responses to educational challenges such as COVID-19. Zainab Azim is a Teaching Fellow at Harvard Graduate School of Education, USA. Her work bridges. education policy and learning science with AI in global development. She’s led AI training for STEM educators in LMICs, evaluated AI in Uganda and Canada, and founded the Harvard AI and Education Conference. Zainab has a background in neuroscience, formerly worked at the Ministry of Finance in Canada and was an Oval Office Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, USA. Maria-Renée Palomo holds degrees from Harvard University, USA and Sciences Po Paris, France. Born in El Salvador, she spent a decade in France working in public sector consulting. She is assistant director of the Education Lab for Latin America and a teaching assistant at Harvard Graduate School of Education, USA, she was also in the founding team of the AI and education in the Global South conference at Harvard. Callysta Thony is a graduate and Teaching Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, USA where she focused on global education policy. She formerly worked with GovTech Edu Indonesia supporting the Indonesian Ministry of Education in nationwide digital transformation. She is interested in exploring how the effective use of technology can address key challenges in education. She was part of the leadership team which initiated the inaugural Harvard AI & Education Conference. Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org

    1h 2m

  4. 18 JAN

    A guide to AI in schools: Perspectives for the perplexed

    “A guide to AI in schools: Perspectives for the perplexed.”AI literacy is perplexing, everyone seems to want it taught, but few people can adequately describe or define it. AI is also different than the arrival of previous learning technology; it did not enter schools and university as the result of deliberate institutional plans and policies; instead, students and teachers simply began using it. As a result, institutions of higher learning as well as K-12 schools are scrambling to adjust; many are rapidly adopting policies and designing courses, events, and resources intended to make learners fluent or proficient in AI literacy. Fortunately, Justin Reich and his colleagues in the Teaching Systems Lab (TSL) have provided a vision of how K-12 schools can design a rich ecosystem for a more AI literate populace. See their new guidebook, “A guide to AI in schools: Perspectives for the perplexed. MIT Teaching Systems Lab.” Available: https://tsl.mit.edu/ai-guidebook/  and https://tsl.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/GuideToAIInSchools.pdf As part of these efforts, they have produced books, films, podcast shows, and other timely resources to promote a more active and engaging pedagogical approach with AI tools and platforms. In fact, Justin and his colleague Jesse Dukes recently designed a 7-episode podcast series called “The Homework Machine.” As schools continue to grapple with the arrival of and experimentation with generative AI, “this timely series explores how the technology is reshaping the daily lives of K–12 teachers, staff, and students.” In Episode #259 of Silver Lining for Learning, you will discover how The Homework Machine takes listeners inside real classrooms and conversations to get a reality check in terms of generative AI in education. As Dr. Reich details with candid interviews and stories from K-12 students themselves, the series lays out both the promise and peril of this new tech in education. Justin Reich is an associate professor of digital media in the Comparative Media Studies/Writing department at MIT and the director of the Teaching Systems Lab. He is the author of Iterate: The Secret to Innovation in Schools and Failure to Disrupt: Why Technology Alone Can’t Transform Education, and he is the host of the TeachLab Podcast.  In addition, Justin is the co-host of The Homework Machine, a limited series podcast about AI in schools. Justin Reich earned his doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and was the Richard L. Menschel HarvardX Research Fellow. He is a past Fellow at the Berkman-Klein Center for Internet and Society. His writings have been published in Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Washington Post, The Atlantic, and other scholarly journals and public venues. He started his career as a high school history teacher, and coach of wrestling and outdoor adventure activities. Follow Justin on Twitter or Google Scholar. More about Justin can be found at: https://tsl.mit.edu/team/justin-reich/ Jesse Dukes is a veteran journalist, podcast producer, and researcher. He was a senior producer of podcasts at WBEZ, Chicago for seven years, serving as the longtime audio producer at Curious City, and producing Season 4 of Motive. He has taught audio storytelling at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke, and Denison University. Jesse is the co-host of The Homework Machine, a limited series podcast about AI in schools. Resources: Justin Reich (PI and MIT Teaching Systems Lab Director), Jesse Dukes, Josh Sheldon, Julie M. Smith, Manee Ngozi Nmani, & Natasha Esteves (2025, November). A guide to AI in schools: Perspectives for the perplexed. MIT Teaching Systems Lab. Available: https://tsl.mit.edu/ai-guidebook/  and https://tsl.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/GuideToAIInSchools.pdfJustin Reich (2025, November 5). Stop Pretending You Know How to Teach AI; Colleges are racing to make students ‘fluent.’ One problem: No one knows what that means. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Available:  https://www.chronicle.com/article/stop-pretending-you-know-how-to-teach-aiMIT Teaching Systems Lab: https://tsl.mit.edu/  Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org

    1h 2m

  5. 10 JAN

    Rehearsing Reality through AI: How Simulations Build Better Teaching

    Rehearsing Reality through AI: How Simulations Build Better Teaching with Rhonda Bondie, Julie Cohen, & Lisa Deiker Purpose statement How can teachers rehearse the toughest moments of teaching—without real students in the room? This episode explores how authentic simulations, powered by new technologies and AI, are transforming teacher preparation and professional learning. Guests Lisa Dieker, Julie Cohen, and Rhonda Bondie discuss how simulation can personalize feedback, deepen reflection, and build more effective educators. Description How can teachers learn the art of teaching in the same way pilots learn to fly or nurses learn to save lives?  This episode of Silver Lining for Learning explores how authentic simulations are transforming teacher preparation and professional growth. Advances in technology now allow teachers unlimited opportunities to practice the hardest moments of teaching, with immediate feedback and opportunities to try again. For example, teachers can rehearse listening and responding to caregivers during difficult conversations. They can also practice responding to a wide variety of students’ learning needs, in the moment, on their feet.. However, simulations are not risk-free, this episode explores the opportunities, benefits, and dangers of simulated teaching practice with and without AI driven tools. Our guests, Rhonda Bondie, Julie Cohen, and Lisa Dieker, share their insights on the design, research, and implementation of simulated practice in education. Together, they trace the evolution of simulation technologies, discuss how these tools can be personalized to educators’ needs across their careers, and examine the opportunities and risks posed by AI-driven teaching simulations. Join us to imagine how simulation could reshape what it means to practice teaching. More about our guests below the video https://youtu.be/yIMSgs4AoSc Readings and Resources:  Dieker, L., Hughes, C., & Hynes, M. (2023). The Past, the Present, and the Future of the Evolution of Mixed Reality in Teacher Education. Education Sciences, 13(11), 1070. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13111070Bondie, R., Zusho, A., Wiseman, E., Dede, C., & Rich, D. (2023). The potential of differentiated and personalized teacher learning through mixed reality simulations. Technology, Mind, and Brain, 4, (1) Spring 2023. Special Collection: Learning in Immersive Virtual Reality. doi: 10.1037/tmb0000098 https://tmb.apaopen.org/pub/4gk68milCohen, J., Wong, V., Krishnamachari, A., & Berlin, R. (2020). Teacher coaching in a simulated environment. Educational evaluation and policy analysis, 42(2), 208-231.https://doi.org/10.3102/016237372090621Episode Guests Rhonda Bondie is an associate professor in special education at Hunter College, Deans Fellow, and the director of the Hunter College Learning Lab. Rhonda spent over 20 years in urban public schools as both a special and general educator. Rhonda’s co-authored book, Differentiated Instruction Made Practical, was recently translated into Portuguese, is used by teachers in more than 30 countries to ensure all learners are thriving every day. Rhonda’s research examines how teachers develop inclusive teaching practices through new technologies available at https://agileteacher.org/. Julie Cohen is the Charles S. Robb associate professor at the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia. Her research focuses on teacher learning and skill development. For the past nine years, she has led the TeachSim lab at the University of Virginia where her team has designed over seventy simulation-based learning experiences for teachers. Her published work has documented the benefits of mixed reality simulations as both a practice space and assessment platform for beginning teachers.  With support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, she is working with Mursion to design a curriculum of AI-driven simulation modules for teachers. Lisa Dieker, Ph.D. is Williamson Family Distinguished Professor of Special Education at the University of Kansas and Director of FLITE (Flexible Learning through Innovations in Technology and Education). Her research examines inclusive education, teacher preparation, and the use of technology, including AI and mixed-reality simulation, to support students with disabilities in STEM. She co-founded the TeachLivE™ simulator and holds six patents in education and technology. She has authored seven books and over 100 scholarly publications. She has received numerous awards, has provided over 200 keynotes, and served as editor for four academic journals.     Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org

    1h 4m

  6. 3 JAN

    Welcoming 2026

    Welcoming 2025 with hosts Chris Dede, Lydia Cao, Punya Mishra & Curt Bonk  Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org

    1h 3m

  7. 3 JAN

    Impact and Outcomes of the California Community Schools Partnership Program

    We all know the story by now. When schools fail to engage their students, it results in student boredom, and, ultimately, chronic absence and feelings of learned helplessness. As would be expected, the effects of students not attending school is that test score gaps are widening. Such scenarios are particularly acute in high-poverty schools and among historically marginalized youth. In response, during the past five years (since 2021), the state of California has made an unprecedented investment of over $4 billion to try a new approach called community schools. The California Community Schools Partnership Program (CCSPP) is committed to offering a whole-child, community-engaged approach filled with richer and more meaningful learning experiences in a climate that is welcoming and provides a sense of belonging. The instructional strategies of a CCSPP school support learner motivation, sense of learning competence, and ability to engage in self-directed forms of learning, The pillars of CCSPP include (1) Integrated student supports; (2) Family and community engagement; (3) Collaborative leadership practices; and (4) Extended learning time and opportunities. But what are the results of this investment, you ask? Well, on September 16, 2025, Walker Swain and his colleagues at the Learning Policy Institute published an initial report on the evidence to date. To find out the results, you can download the report at the links provided below. You can also attend or listen to Episode 255 of Silver Lining for Learning and find out more specifics about the Impact and Outcomes of the California Community Schools Partnership Program. It promises to be a most important and interesting show. Walker Swain is a Principal Researcher at the Learning Policy Institute, where he specializes in developing equity-oriented policy research and advising state and federal education policy. Currently, he works with LPI’s Educator Quality and Equitable Resources and Access teams. He has coauthored studies in academic journals including Educational Researcher, Sociology of Education, Economics of Education Review, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, and the American Educational Research Journal on a range of education and broader public policy issues. Before joining LPI, Swain served as an American Educational Research Association/American Association for the Advancement of Science Congressional Fellow in the United States Senate working on education and labor policy for Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. He was also previously Associate Professor of Education and Public Policy at the University of Georgia, where he was honored with the Mary McCleod Bethune Educator Award for efforts to advance social justice in the classroom and beyond. He began his career as a middle school science teacher and basketball coach in Louisville, KY. Swain holds a PhD in Leadership and Policy Studies from the Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University, an MPP From Duke University, an MAT in Secondary Science from the University of Louisville, and a BA in Political Science and Biology from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Anna Maier is a Senior Policy Advisor and Researcher at the Learning Policy Institute and co-leads the Whole Child Education team, with a focus on community schools. She is the lead author of Community Schools as an Effective School Improvement Strategy: A Review of the Evidence and Technical Assistance for Community Schools: Enabling Strong Implementation. Her policy work and research focuses on federal, state, and local investments in community schools, with a particular focus on California. Maier has experience with a variety of roles in K–12 education. She began her career managing an afterschool program for elementary school students in Oakland and went on to teach 2nd and 3rd grade in the Oakland Unified School District and Aspire Public Schools. She was also a member of the research and evaluation team at Coaching Corps, a youth sports nonprofit in Oakland. As a graduate student fellow with the Center for Cities & Schools at UC Berkeley, she worked with West Contra Costa Unified School District on implementing a full-service community schools initiative. Maier received an MPP from the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley, a Multiple Subjects CLAD teaching credential from the New College of California, and a BA in Psychology and Education Studies from Carleton College. Melanie Leung-Gagné is a Researcher at the Learning Policy Institute. She is a quantitative researcher focused on school discipline and the educator workforce. Her analyses combine complex survey data sets to identify high-leverage opportunities for federal and state policy interventions that will improve education quality and equity. Her specific issue areas include discipline disparities, school climate, teacher shortages, teacher diversity, principal professional learning, and curricular access. Prior to joining LPI, she worked as an education journalist in Hong Kong and as an education researcher in India and the United Arab Emirates. She was also an English and music teacher at an elementary school for migrant workers’ children in mainland China. Leung-Gagné holds an MA in International Education Policy Analysis from Stanford University and a BSc in Journalism and Communication from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Cassandra Rubinstein is a PhD Candidate in Teacher Education and Learning Sciences at North Carolina State University and works as a Research and Policy Consultant at LPI. At LPI, she supports a range of projects dedicated to school and system redesign, including strengthening systems to support community schooling as a strategy for school transformation. She has years of experience managing district intervention programs and serving as a district grant coordinator in California public schools. Her research explores topics such as school segregation, equity-focused principal preparation, curricular interventions, and programs for multilingual students in public schools. Some relevant links: Learning Policy InstituteCommunity Schools Impact on Student Outcomes: Evidence From CaliforniaThis report can be found online at https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/ca-community-schools-impact-student-outcomes.Swain, W., Leung-Gagné, M., Maier, A., & Rubinstein, C. (2025). Community schools impact on student outcomes: Evidence from California. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/541.498 Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org

    1h 2m

  8. 23/11/2025

    Critical AI in K12 Classrooms

    Today we’re diving into Critical AI in K–12 Classrooms by Stephanie Smith Budhai and Marie K. Heath, a powerful guide helping teachers and students navigate the promises and perils of AI in education with justice, equity, and critical awareness at the core. Dr. Stephanie Smith Budhai (she/her), Associate Professor at University of Delaware, is an award-winning educator and author whose work bridges technology, equity, and civic engagement. Dr. Marie K. Heath (she/her), Associate Professor at Loyola University Maryland is dedicated to dismantling oppression in schools and technology. They both bring deep expertise and insight to this timely conversation. Stephanie and Marie’s book is designed as a practical guide for teachers and students navigating the complicated intersection of artificial intelligence, education, and justice Artificial intelligence is rapidly integrating into today’s classrooms, and like other technologies, AI has the potential to harm, though at a larger scale, making it difficult to take advantage of its benefits. In Critical AI in K–12 Classrooms, Stephanie Smith Budhai and Marie K. Heath draw attention to the biases embedded within AI algorithms, such as those powering OpenAI’s ChatGPT and DALL-E, to guide students and teachers in developing strategies to best incorporate AI—or not—into equitable learning. AI’s reliance on existing data and knowledge systems means Black, queer, those with disabilities, and other marginalized students are at greater risk of being harmed by built-in limitations and bias. Budhai and Heath show how to circumvent if not actively resist such harms as machine learning, NLPs, LLMS, and GenAI enter the classroom, with practical examples rooted in culturally sustaining, abolitionist, and fugitive pedagogies across disciplines. Their practical guide creatively answers the concerns of educators committed to forward-thinking yet fair instruction and the needs of students eager to use AI for just ends. Critical AI in K–12 Classrooms meets the challenges of a key STEM technology with an eye toward cultivating a more just world. Balancing responsible learning with the joy of discovery, Budhai and Heath build a framework for AI instruction that all educators can confidently use. About our guests: Dr. Marie K. Heath (she/her) is not a robot, but she refuses to prove it to Google’s CAPTCHA. She currently works as Department Chair for Education Specialties and as an Associate Professor of Learning Design and Technology at Loyola University Maryland. Prior to her work in higher education, Marie taught high school social studies in Baltimore County Public Schools. Her scholarship interrogates schools and technologies as current sites of encoded oppression, and labors to advance more just technological and educational futures. She is co-editor of the CITE Social Studies Journal, co-founder and co-executive director of the Civics of Technology project, and a Faculty at the Center for Research and Evaluation at Loyola University Maryland. If you ask generative AI a question about Marie, it replies with the Mariah Carey “I don’t know her” meme. Stephanie Smith Budhai, PhD, is an associate professor in the Educational Technology program at the University of Delaware and is the recipient of an Excellence in Teacher Education Award from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Her interdisciplinary research and practice lies at the intersections of technology, equity and civic engagement, across myriad K-16 settings. She is a council chair for the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE) and advisory board member for the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) Center of Excellence for Publishing. Stephanie has published over eighty practitioner articles and nine books to support teaching, learning, and technology in education, two of which have been translated into Arabic.  Most recently she published, Critical AI in K-12 Classrooms: A Practical Guide for Cultivating Justice and Joy (Harvard Education Press) and Culturally Responsive Teaching Online and In Person (Corwin). She holds K–12 teaching certifications in technology education, instructional technology, elementary education, and special education. Join the conversation at silverliningforlearning.org

    1h 5m
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Silver Lining for Learning (https://silverliningforlearning.org) is an ongoing conversation on the future of learning with educators and education leaders from across the globe. Hosted by Chris Dede, Curt Bonk, Punya Mishra & Yong Zhao, these conversations began under the “dark cloud” of the COVID19 crisis and continue today. We see these conversations as space to discuss the creation of equitable, humanistic and sustainable learning ecosystems that meet the needs of all learners. These conversations are hosted live on YouTube every Saturday (typically 5:30 PM Eastern US time).

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  • Creator
    Punya Mishra | Chris Dede | Curt Bonk | Yong Zhao
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    261
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2020-2022 Silver Lining for Learning
  • Show Website
    Silver Lining for Learning